Track Campaign Types in Your Google Ads Reports
▼ Summary
– Google added a non-functional “Campaign Type” attribute to its Channel Performance report, hinting at future expansion beyond Performance Max campaigns.
– The update suggests Google may soon include Demand Gen campaigns in the Channel Performance report as the most likely first addition.
– API access for programmatically pulling this data is expected to be available soon for developers and analysts.
– Network segmentation is now available in Asset Group reports, allowing advertisers to analyze PMax data by network.
– This change signals Google is moving toward unifying campaign reporting into a cross-network view, potentially replacing elements of the Network report.
A recent update to Google Ads reporting quietly introduced a new Campaign Type attribute within the Channel Performance report, signaling a potential expansion beyond its current Performance Max focus. While this new filter remains inactive for now, its appearance suggests Google is preparing to unify campaign data visibility across different advertising formats. This development follows subtle interface hints and aligns with the platform’s broader push toward integrated performance analytics.
The significance of this change lies in its future implications. For weeks, a tooltip in Google Ads has indicated that channel performance data was exclusively available for Performance Max campaigns, wording that many interpreted as foreshadowing broader availability. Now, with the Campaign Type field visibly present as a selectable attribute, even while non-functional, the technical foundation appears complete for extending these insights to additional campaign categories.
Demand Gen campaigns represent the most logical first candidate for inclusion in this expanded reporting. Google’s ongoing effort to consolidate data visibility across campaign types makes this expansion particularly probable. The platform’s pattern of gradually merging specialized reports into mainstream analytics supports this trajectory, similar to how Performance Max’s Search Term Insights eventually integrated into the standard Search Term report.
Beyond interface changes, Google is preparing API access for this enhanced reporting capability. This will empower developers and analysts to programmatically extract channel performance data, enabling more sophisticated automation and custom reporting solutions for advertising teams.
Simultaneously, Google has activated network segmentation within Asset Group reports, a long-requested feature that allows advertisers to break down Performance Max performance by individual advertising networks. This functionality provides deeper granularity for understanding where PMax campaigns generate their results across Google’s ecosystem.
The underlying strategy appears less about introducing completely new features and more about structural realignment. Google seems to be positioning the Channel Performance report to overlap with, and potentially replace, components of the existing Network report. This incremental approach to consolidating performance data sources follows established patterns in how Google evolves its advertising platform.
While the current update doesn’t yet provide functional new capabilities, it clearly indicates Google’s direction toward unified, cross-network campaign reporting. As one PPC analyst characterized the development, this represents a transitional phase that bridges advertiser demands with Google’s strategic data presentation preferences. The changes were initially identified by ecommerce insights professionals monitoring platform developments.
(Source: Search Engine Land)
